A TSA official walks to his post at the Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, (Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images)

TSA rules on what you can bring on an airplane and how much dignity you have to part with during security screenings have been maddening.

So it was with some sense of relief we noted the U.S. Transportation Security Administration was relaxing prohibitions on small pocket knives and allowing some sporting goods — golf clubs and lacrosse sticks — on board airplanes.

Many of the safety agency’s rules have made no sense and seem to be geared toward distracting would-be bad guys and needlessly embarrassing passengers than keeping dangerous items off planes. Remember those body scanners that showed your nude image to the security personnel? Thank goodness those are the way out.

I just now saw a compelling Wall Street Journal commentary from April 14 on “Why Airport Security Is Broken — And How To Fix It” by former TSA chief Kip Hawley. You may encounter a pay wall if you click on it, so let me briefly mention three of his recommendations that are dear to my heart.

1. “No more banned items” other than obvious weapons such as guns etc.

2. “Allow all liquids.”

3. “Eliminate baggage fees” since “much of the pain at TSA checkpoints these days can be attributed to passengers over-stuffing their carry-on luggage to avoid baggage fees.”

As Hawley points out, “Never again will a terrorist be able to breach the cockpit simply with a box cutter or a knife.” That being the case, we ought to stop requiring TSA employees to act like “kindergarten teachers” enforcing an impossibly long list of banned items that for the most part are not worthy of concern.

Hawley does defend the most hated TSA requirement of all, however: Removing your shoes. But at least you appreciate why this policy may not be overkill by the time you’ve finished reading.

Vincent Carroll is The Denver Post's editorial page editor. He has been writing commentary on politics and public policy in Colorado since 1982 and was originally with the Rocky Mountain News, where he was also editor of the editorial pages until that newspaper gave up the ghost in 2009.

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